Big Idea: God is a clear and effective communicator for the purpose of relational knowledge.

Transcription

1 Chris Taylor Text: Deuteronomy Title: The Clear and Effective Word! Big Idea: God is a clear and effective communicator for the purpose of relational knowledge. Intro.: Ill.: Confusing Signs!!! Unclear Communication is frustrating and ineffective! My friend Stephen in Boston (MIT grad; Rocket Scientist for NASA) we long for our engagement, our communication, with a conversation partner to be clear and accessible. My wife and I talk. Our conversation is rich and fruitful. Communication is key to any relationship. God is a relational being. Doesn t it make sense that He would communicate to us clearly and effectively? In His word He does! Series Review: For the past few weeks we ve been discussing the doctrine of Scripture. We ve talked about the authority of Scripture which answers the question, Is it God s word? Should the Bible be listened to? We ve talked about the reliability of Scripture which answers the question, Can it be trusted? Now we come to the clarity of Scripture which answers the question, Can it be understood? What an important doctrine! If Scripture is authoritative and reliable and yet the truths of Scripture are unclear, then the former two are inconsequential! If we cannot access the authoritative and reliable word of God, then we are barred from life with God! And yet this is clearly not the case! Scripture itself testifies to the fact that God s word is indeed clear and accessible! Stand & Read Passage Deuteronomy (11) Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. (12) It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it? (13) Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it? (14) No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. Context The first 30 chapters of Deuteronomy contain a sermon, a covenant renewal ceremony between YHWH and His people, Israel. An entire generation has died off in the wilderness due to their disobedience to God. In Deuteronomy, with entrance into the Promised Land on the imminent horizon, God calls His people to observe and obey His law, to live as His covenant people before the world and to pass on His wonderful truth from generation to generation! The people of Israel represent a people rescued from slavery and injustice on the basis of God s mercy and kindness and now called to live in grateful recognition of God s saving work on their behalf! Moses issues forth a call for God s law to permeate every fiber of their being so as to be reflected in their everyday life! God s people are faced with a life or death decision! Deuteronomy (15) See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. (16) For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. (17) But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you

2 are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, (18) I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. Understand this! God was not calling His people to keep the law as a means of rescue and salvation here! They had already been rescued out of slavery on account of God s mercy and grace! This was a call to live as God s rescued people, a life committed to following and exemplifying the law of God! And how is God s law described in our passage? Vs. 11 For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off (ESV). - Not too hard for you - Neither is it far off (or beyond your reach) Simply put, God s word is clear! It s accessible!!! There is no guessing at God s will here! It s clear what God is calling His people to and the implications of their response. One Jewish commentator writes: God s instruction is not unintelligible or esoteric, nor is it inaccessible and unknown. It has already been imparted to Israel by Moses, permitting Israel to learn it, meditate on it, and carry it out. The Lord had not (in His word) given Israel a Rubik s Cube to solve or some other puzzle to decipher He had clearly communicated to them His word, His ways, His statues, a way of life pleasing to Him! It was clearly and freely given by a good and gracious God. Vv (12) It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it? (13) Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it? Ill.: The Ancient Story of Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian Hero Babylonian legend from the 2 nd Millennium BC After the death of his friend, Gilgamesh sets out on a heroic quest for life crossing the sea searching for answers but to no avail) In contrast to this tragic tale, in the OT God comes to His people; He takes the initiative; He freely, graciously and lovingly gives them His word! It doesn t have to be adventured after over the course of some perilous journey. However, God Himself would one day take the perilous journey at the Cross on our behalf! His word comes to us!!! Vs. 14 No, the word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your hearts so you may obey it. The word of God was so clear that it was expected of God s people to teach it to their children. It was accessible even to children and not just for rote memorization, but for discussion during their daily activities. Deuteronomy (6) And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. In vs. 14 in saying that the word is in their mouth God is communicating to Israel via Moses that His word is something that they can repeat (because they know it) and in saying that it s in their heart He s saying that they can meditate on it and understand it and respond to it. The ultimate goal is obedience!

3 3 questions for the study of any OT Passage: 1. What does this passage teach us about God s character? God speaks! The living God speaks to His people! He is an effective communicator! He takes the initiative in communication! 2. How does this passage point to Jesus Christ? As the word had come to Israel, it would come again INCARNATE, the word-made-flesh not only to reveal God, for this word was and is God, but would come to provide the solution to mankind s heart problem. Mankind s enduring problem was a hard heart, a heart opposed to God! The WORD made Flesh would come and change the hearts of mankind through His life, death and resurrection and thus incline mankind s heart toward obedience to God! 3. How can we apply this passage to our lives? Read the word! Study it individually and with others! Share the word! Obey God s word! The Clarity of Scripture Defined Kevin DeYoung writes: The perspicuity of Scripture upholds the notion that ordinary people using ordinary means can accurately understand enough of what must be known, believed, and observed for them to be faithful Christians. Wayne Grudem defines the clarity of Scripture as follows: The clarity of Scripture means that the Bible is written in such a way that its teachings are able to be understood by all who read it seeking God s help and being willing to follow it. R.C. Sproul writes: What kind of God would reveal his love and redemption in terms so technical and concepts so profound that only an elite corps of professional scholars could understand them. Scripture s Testimony Scripture itself testifies to its clarity: Psalm 19.7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. Psalm The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. The word is so clear that even the simple (or foolish) can be made wise by it! Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. The Scriptures provide clear guidance for the believer! Jesus Own Testimony of the Clarity of Scripture Note the following quotations from Jesus in Matthew s gospel: Matthew 12.3 Haven t you read Matthew 12.5 Haven t you read in the Law

4 Matthew 19.4 Haven t you read Matthew Jesus said to them, Have you never read in the Scriptures Throughout His ministry Jesus appeals to the Old Testament Scriptures as the final authority or arbiter in the face of those who misunderstand or oppose Him. His appeal is based on the expectation that the Scriptures are understandable and intelligible God s word is clear! It would do Him no good to appeal to something unclear or difficult to understand. In the New Testament we find Jesus arguing for the clarity of Scripture! How can we make sense of the Clarity of Scripture? Clarity and God s Character!!! Clarity and Revelation There is a direct correlation between God s desire to be known and the clarity of Scripture! As one historian notes: Early church father, Irenaeus, spoke of God s desire to be known and his ability to effect it through the Scriptures. If God s desire is to reveal Himself to mankind and the chief means that He uses is the Scriptures, then it follows that God s means of communication would be clear and accessible! His desire will not be thwarted! God s desire is for people to know Him! This is a relational knowing! God has revealed Himself through the Scriptures special revelation! God has chosen to make Himself known! He does this through multiple means: His creation (Ps. 19.1); His mighty deeds (Exodus); and climactically through Jesus Christ (God-in-the-flesh) all of this is found in the word! God does not reveal Himself through enigmatic means, but rather with clarity! In Scripture God primarily reveals Himself, His awesome character, through His mighty deeds and words. This revelation is purposeful! It s not arbitrary! God reveals himself so that mankind might KNOW HIM!!! God is a clear and effective communicator for the purpose of relational knowledge! Exodus 7:5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them. Exodus 10:2 that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, that you may know that I am the LORD. But God doesn t just act; He speaks! His actions are not left unexplained for us to interpret! God not only acts on our behalf, but He explains His actions authoritatively for our benefit so that we might know Him. He acts and speaks; take the Cross for example; we don t just have the cross mentioned in Scripture as something that happened and are then left to ourselves to interpret it or make sense of it. We have the Cross AND multiple places where the Cross is explained and unpacked in God s word! Take 1 Peter 2.24 for example He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

5 Once more example: Throughout the gospels we have the incredible miracles of Jesus! If left to themselves, with no explanation, we would be forced to guess at their significance! But instead we have John (30) Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; (31) but these [signs/miracles] are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John clearly delineates the purpose of Christ s miracles as faith invoking signs, specifically intended to identity Jesus as the Christ! Signs and Messiah! Scripture is clear; Scripture contains both the acts and words of God; His acts are clearly and authoritatively explained! God desires for us to know Him through that which is recorded in Scripture! Let s focus on God s use of words for the purpose of communication! The Bible begins and ends with the Living God speaking! Genesis 1.3 And God said. Let there be light Revelation Yes, I am coming soon. Specifically, and for the purpose of our topic, let s discuss God s use of human words to communicate. Mark Thompson writes: Whenever he [God] makes himself known to men and women, words are involved. Furthermore, God s use of words is intentional: they are meant to have an impact, meant to contribute to a true knowledge of God and his purposes. Think about this for a second. The infinite all powerful God of the universe and Lord of creation uses human language to communicate. This flies in the face of the mystic objection to the clarity of Scripture. The mystic would argue the Christian faith is so mysterious and God so high above us (transcendent) that the use of words is an inferior and downright ineffective means of communication for the Divine! Some from this camp might argue that God is simply above human communication; it s irreverent to assume that God would stoop so low as to use human language to communicate to us! However, this is how God has graciously determined to reveal Himself! Human language is a gift from God. We must not forget that God was the first to speak. Our ability to communicate, specifically to speak, comes from Him. His speaking is the basis for our speaking. We speak because He speaks! We are made in the image of a God who speaks and for this reason communication with God is made possible. As one writer says, [God] has made us fit speech partners for himself. Mark Thompson writes: If communication is generally possible between human beings, as common experience confirms, then what kind of arrogance (Luther would say blasphemy) will suggest that this is beyond God? Note the multiple examples of God taking the initiative to communicate clearly to mankind:

6 Genesis 12.1, 4 (1) The Lord had said to Abram, Go from your country, your people and your father s household to the land I will show you. (4) So Abram went, as the Lord had told him God spoke, Abram listened and obeyed. Here we have good, clear communication! Exodus 3.4 God called to him from within the bush, Moses! Moses! And Moses said, Here I am. God uses human language to communicate clearly and effectively! T.S.: In fact, God became human to supremely communicate His love to mankind! Clarity and Condescension The Incarnation The incarnation is proof of the clarity of Scripture. God reveals Himself to us; He condescends to us; he wants us to know Him. God reveals Himself to be known relationally. You see in times past God had spoken through His prophets; He d spoken through a burning bush and fiery mountain tops, but NOW he would be speaking through His Son; NOW God would take on human form the Word made flesh the God-Man Jesus Christ and would speak the very word of God! The incarnation is the greatest argument for the clarity of Scripture! Again, the key word here is condescension! The incarnation marks the great condescension of God! God wants us to know Him so much so that He came to us (leaving heavenly glory)! The incarnation is the ultimate revelation of God! With the Incarnation God appeals to our senses! 1 John 1.1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life In Christ God has been seen, heard and touched! What clarity!!! What beautiful condescension!!! John 1.1, 14 (1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (14) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us Jesus is here identified as the Life-Giving Word of God! God s word in creation went worth authoritatively, and effectively brought forth life! Here Jesus is being equated to the clear creational word of God and further identified as God s agent of creation!!! The God who speaks became man to more clearly reveal Himself to mankind!!! We see the effective and creative life-giving power of Jesus, the Word of God, throughout His earthly ministry. In Mark 5 He gives life to a dead child. Mark (41) Taking her by the hand he said to her, Talithi cumi, which means, Little girl, I say to you, arise. (42) And immediately the girl got up and began walking In John [Jesus proclaimed] Lazarus, come out. The man who had died came out

7 I m not here equating Jesus, the Word of God, with the Scriptures or God s word. However, as God s inspired written word, the Scriptures have the power to give life because God always powerfully accompanies the proclamation of His word! The written word has the same authority and effective power as the spoken word of King Jesus! Romans 1.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes His word is powerful, effective and clear! Ephesians 1.13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. What a beautiful picture of regeneration through the word!!! God s word and His powerful accompaniment of that word is His gracious means of calling sinners to Himself. That calling is effective and clear! Clarity and The Trinity Oh what great lengths God has gone through to give His people His word! Follow the chain of revelation! Jesus, sent from the Father, brings the Father s words. John For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment what to say and what to speak. Jesus then gives these words to the apostles. John 17.8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them The Father and the Son then send the Holy Spirit to remind the apostles of these words. John But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. The apostles were sent by Jesus to record and give this word to future followers of Christ. John 17.14, 18, 20 (14) I have given them your word (18) As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. (20) I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word God s provision of a clear and accessible word is truly a Trinitarian Project! It s so His church, God s people, might have His word His clear and accessible word! Clarity and The Gospel The event that most clearly and most beautifully portrays God s character and saving plan for mankind the gospel is the centerpiece of Scripture! In the OT we have it promised, alluded to and foreshadowed and in the NT we have it recorded and explained! The gospel demonstrates God s desire for us to know Him! He came to us; He died for us so that we might know Him! This event, this news about an event, is at the center of God s word!

8 All of Scripture points to it! Jesus came announcing it! Mark 1.15 The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. In fact, it s news! News is intended to be heard and understood! In order for news to accomplish its purpose it must be clear! T.S.: Now that we have a better grasp of the Clarity of Scripture, what are the practical implications of this doctrine? Application Read it!!! God s word is God s gracious means of making us more like Christ!!! It s clear and accessible!!! Come up with a game plan!!! 1 Month Reading Plan Examples: - Proverbs 1 chapter a day! - Mark and Romans 32 chapters Read two chapters on first and last day! - John and Ephesians 27 chapters 1 chapter a day - Psalms 5 chapters/day RIP Read Interpret Practice Where to begin? Read What does the text say? Start by reading the passage through twice. - Things to look for: Repeating words, major themes, think about who, what, when, where, etc.., purpose clues ( in order that ), situation clues (e.g., setting, group, etc ). Interpret What does the text mean? Author s intention? Practice How do we apply the text? - Now that we know what the text means for here and now we must seek to apply it to our own real-life situations today!

9 Example: Mark And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven. 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone? 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Rise, take up your bed and walk? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins he said to the paralytic 11 I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home. 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw anything like this! Read: What does the text say? Who: Jesus, a paralytic (with friends), the crowd, scribes Where: Capernaum, Jesus home, overcrowded home What: Jesus is preaching the word (see Mk. 1.15), declares forgiveness, engages the religious leaders, heals a paralytic, reveals his identity Interpret: What does the text mean? - Jesus has the authority to heal and forgive sins! - Forgiveness of sin is man s greatest need! - Jesus is Messiah! Jesus is Divine! Practice: How do we apply the text? - Flee to Jesus for forgiveness! - Proclaim forgiveness of sins as mankind s greatest need! - Call people to look to Jesus as Messiah and Lord for forgiveness of sins!